Hi. I am Elmo Peeler, a conservatory-trained professional rock pianist, arranger, conductor, and composer. My passion in life has been the piano - playing it and composing for it. Over the years I've toured the world, playing and arranging for three Hall-of-Fame rock artists: The Beach Boys, Ricky Nelson, and Rod Stewart.
Growing up in Mississippi, my earliest memories include the joy of hearing boogie-woogie piano music. My daddy taught me my first songs on the piano when I was five, with my first public performance at ten. Those early years in the South shaped my musical foundation and ignited a lifelong passion that would take me around the world.
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Elmo Peeler
Discovered classical music at 13 and began formal training
Joined my first rock band at 14, blending classical technique with rock energy
Started recording professionally at 15 in Mississippi studios
Won Mississippi State Piano Competition both Junior and Senior years
Graduated high school as a National Merit Scholar
Studied at The Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Summer Arts Camp
After school, I worked in studios in Mississippi while touring the South in my own rock band, then moved to Los Angeles in my early 20's. My very first job in Hollywood was ghost-writing arrangements for Don Costa, MGM's top producer/arranger. After composing the score for Tommy Lee Jones' first movie, I became Musical Director (pianist/arranger/conductor) for songwriter Paul Williams, writing arrangements for and conducting the Doc Severinson Orchestra, other TV show orchestras, and full symphony orchestras.
Soon Carl Wilson asked me to join the rhythm section of The Beach Boys, with whom I toured internationally, playing piano, B-3 organ, and synthesizers, as well as writing horn arrangements for their five-piece touring horn section. During these years both Carl and Dennis Wilson asked me to write arrangements for their outside-The Beach Boys projects as well, including Dennis' first solo album, "Pacific Ocean Blue". I still have the onion-skin charts from those sessions.
When The Beach Boys had a bad habit of in-fighting and once actually broke up, immediately The Sweet Inspirations, Elvis' back-up singers, asked me to become their Musical Director (pianist/arranger). Their 1960's hit, "Sweet Inspiration" had been a favorite of mine as a teenager, never dreaming I'd meet or play with them.
When The Sweet Inspirations became the opening act for Ricky Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band, Ricky heard me play and asked me to join his Stone Canyon Band. As a child I'd watched Ricky on TV on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, and liked his recordings a lot. We had a lot of fun during those years of touring, but fortunately I decided to leave the band before the plane tragedy.
One day the phone rang and a friend asked if I'd be interested in touring with Rod Stewart, as arranger/conductor/keyboardist for his "Unplugged " tours. Every afternoon a different group of twenty-one men and women - members of the local symphony orchestra - would let me teach them the arrangements for a two-hour show to be performed that evening before audiences of 20,000 to 200,000. We set an attendance record at Wembley Stadium of about 81,500!
Carl Wilson, Elmo Peeler and Brian Wilson
The moment that Carl introduced me to Brian
Rod Stewart in Concert
Rod introducing me to the audience at Madison Square Garden
Ricky Nelson in Concert
Performing with Ricky Nelson
Saturday Night Live
Kicking off "Travelin' Man" when Ricky Nelson hosted SNL
The Beach Boys in Concert
Mike Love, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Billy Hinsche, and Elmo Peeler
The Beach Boys in Central Park
Al Jardine, Mike Love, Bobby Figueroa, Lance Buller, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Billy Hinsche, Elmo Peeler (organ), Brian Wilson (piano)
A few years ago I agreed to teach a few students, and since then have taught members of Vampire Weekend, Incubus, Weezer, The Strokes, Jason Schwartzman, Courteney Cox, and others.
One of the best ways to teach how to play rock piano is to show exactly what was played on the original hit recording that the student is working on - not some commercially-produced sheet music arrangement that is inevitably inaccurate. These note-for-note transcriptions are available here on my website.
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Elmo Peeler (center), Brian Bell (left) of 'Weezer' & 'The Relationship', Doug Messenger (right), owner of Hard Drive Studio, The Section (foreground)
"BTW, one of the best ways to teach how to play rock piano is to show exactly what was played on the original hit recording - not some commercially-produced sheet music arrangement that is inevitably inaccurate."
- Elmo Peeler
Whether you need professional piano transcriptions, custom arrangements, or want to improve your piano playing with personalized lessons, I'm here to help you achieve your musical goals.
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Note-for-note accurate transcriptions of your favorite songs
Personalized arrangements for any occasion or performance
Professional patches for vintage synthesizers
Professional pianist for recordings, concerts, and events
Listen to my original compositions and recordings